


Bright Lights That Cast a Shadow

by kajakauf013



Series: Marvel AU Collection [7]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Blood, Body Dysmorphia, Body Dysphoria, Don't judge they can be creepy, Elmo - Freeform, Fire, Gen, Hand Puppet, Implied Death, Imprisonment, Kidnapping, Magic, Malnourishment, Medical Science, Mention of Death, Minor Injuries, Needles, Paranoia, Surgical Instruments (mentioned not used), age change, cursing, mention of Tony Stark Pepper Potts Professor Xavier and Jarvis, taser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 03:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12312951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kajakauf013/pseuds/kajakauf013
Summary: 20140519Magic makes life more difficult than it normally already is, but there are some good things that can come out of it.





	1. Kidnapping Going Pretty Smoothly

It’s a warm summer night, the sky is clear and the moon is out. That isn’t what lights up the night in this city. New York never sleeps and that makes certain jobs easier to complete. The target just stepped out of a 24-hour convenience store and is headed back towards Stark Tower, time to move.

~~~

Things hadn’t been going very well for me lately, and tonight wasn’t shaping up to be much better. I just keep walking forward, trying to ignore the paranoid feeling that I’ve had all night, it was to be expected.

Someone kicked a can in the alley behind me, I stopped and looked, didn’t see anything. But that didn’t mean anything. With what had happened, my senses were dulled almost beyond recognition and it was starting to piss me off.

The sound of an argument a few blocks ahead made me speed up my pace, if I got back to Stark’s everything would be fine, whatever was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up wouldn’t be able to get me there.

Oh if only that were true.

Someone behind me broke out into a run and so did I, but my shorter legs definitely were not helping me get very far. 

I was only a few paces ahead when whoever was after me tackled me to the ground. I smelled blood; my hands and cheek were both scraped, bleeding slightly. From this angle I could now tell that my attacker was a male, muscular, and too tall to properly take down someone of my new height. He overestimated my size when tackling me, which left me enough wiggle room to escape his arms.

I got up and ran, my face stinging from the air passing over it, another thing that I was not used to anymore. I pulled out my phone and dialed the only person that I knew was up at the moment. The phone rang twice before he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Steve! I need…help! Being…chased. I’m two blocks…away from…the tower. Help Me!”

I heard static in the air before I felt something rap around my chest. I had enough time to realize that it was a specialized cable that I recognized from my short time with S.H.I.E.L.D. and I tossed my phone away from me down a near by alleyway. I saw it land behind a bag of trash before the electricity started to flow. The new taser design worked really well, it’s no wonder that Hydra stole this particular model, it made for a wonderful mid-distance weapon.

Whoever my attacker was approached me; I could hear someone yelling over a radio. Something about not injuring the target and not knowing what the effects of the spell could have done. 

Well, good job, I hope you get in trouble at work Mr. Kidnapper/asshole.

Sure, some of you might be wondering ‘But Kajak, why didn’t you use your powers to get away?’ Well, I’ve had a rough week, and I might not have mentioned it earlier but I am currently 10.

Hey, shit happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! It’s me back with another story. This takes place shortly after the events in Captain America the Winter Soldier, and actually lasts for a few months so it runs a bit longer than the majority of my other stories despite it’s short length. I hope you all enjoy, let me know what you think!


	2. Stay Out of the Light

I’ll explain a bit, just to be nice. 

After S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, I started staying at Stark Tower in order to get re-established in the world. It’s not every day that your work turns out to be a façade for Hydra and I needed to go into hiding for a bit. Stark gave an open invitation, saying he had planed on housing the Avengers members when he rebuilt after the New York incident.

So, I was in a nearby café last Tuesday when the weirdness happened. It was early in the morning, there was light rain, so the few people who were out on the streets rushed to their destinations. I was enjoying a cup of warm chai tea when the lights of the café started to flicker. 

That was the first warning sign, the second was an odd red light. The light radiated from the misty clouds overhead, as I looked out of the window the light narrowed into a single beam that was aimed to a narrow point on the sidewalk just beyond the glass. I stood, about to move away when the beam of light changed. It exploded outward, almost in a wave, hitting me directly across the sternum. I fell back, hitting my head on the floor.

The smell of ozone permeated everything around. I was slightly dizzy as I stood back up, the few other customers were also on their feet, asked if I was ok. The red light was gone and my dizziness was also fading, I told them I was fine, as I headed out the door.

It was here that I noticed something was off. I reached up to grab the handle of the door, and it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. 

I mean, I know I’m short, but I didn’t think I was that short. The handle was way higher then it was supposed to be. This prompted me to look at myself.

To say I freaked out would be an understatement.

My clothes were too long, my shoes too big. I looked at myself in the reflection of the glass, and it wasn’t me. Err, well, it was but not. I was a kid again.

Fuck my life.

I hurried back to Stark Tower, trying not to look too panicked. I didn’t want anyone to report a lost child wandering around downtown New York, which just reeked of trouble that I did not need right now.

Walking into the building was much more intimidating then usual, taking away a foot in height makes everything different and I don’t like it. 

I thought I might run into trouble at the elevator but JARVIS recognized my voice, even commenting on my elevated heart rate and asking if I was all right. I do love that machine; he is so well programmed, so polite. I told him that I needed to meet with Tony, and he let me know that he was already awake.

I gritted my teeth as the elevator door opened; this wasn’t going to be fun.


	3. I Know a Thing About Contrition

That first day wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. 

There was genuine concern from Pepper, and utter fascination from Tony. He threw himself into research on how I could have come to be like this, and for ways on how to reverse it. I didn’t contact any of my mutant friends mainly because I didn’t want to concern any of them and I already had radio silence as it was.

The only other person that wound up finding out what happened was Steve, we already had plans to meet up that day and he showed up before I could cancel.

I didn’t really mind him finding out though; he was used to weird things happening around his friends anyway, so he took it in stride. 

It was just weird for me, being so short that my sight line is right at Cap’s man boobs is something you never get used to. And while he wasn’t exactly able to help, having a sympathetic shoulder is always helpful, plus he was willing to help me get stuff that I could no longer reach.

After the first few days I started to get restless, so I would leave the Tower (in new, properly fitting clothes) during the day. Steve found me on one of these days, in Central Park. I was entertaining some pre-school kids with a Baby Elmo hand puppet when I spotted Steve in his oh-so-inconspicuous disguise of a baseball hat and sunglasses. I quickly excused myself from the little kids and walked over to him, the kids yelling ‘Bye’ as I went.

“Entertaining little kids with sock puppets now huh?”

“What? There’s nothing else to do at home, I escaped before Tony could hook me up to another one of his machines.”

“Yeah, those things are never fun, but still. Wandering around in the city looking like that isn’t the best of ideas.”

I stared down at my own shoes, nothing like having Captain America make you feel guilty. “I know, but it’s been what, six days? Tony can’t find a scientific explanation for what happened. I’m starting to think that something wonky was behind what happened.”

“What do you mean by ‘wonky’?”

“Something to do with magic.”

He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“I’ve seen weird things like this happen, mainly when I was in Asgard. I don’t think science is the answer this time.”

“Oh, okay, that I get. It sounds like what Hydra was up to, using Asgardian magic as weapons.”

“Yay, just what we don’t need.”

It was thoughts like that that kept me up until two the next morning. Steve had stayed over and was in the middle of reading some books that I got him (the Harry Potter series) when I remembered that I forgot to get something from the store. I couldn’t sleep and had been pacing for about an hour already, so I decided to make a quick run. Steve asked if I wanted him to go to, I stubbornly said no, that I could go by my self.

I am wrong sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know the radio silence Kajak maintains with all of her contacts after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. is purely to keep them safe as well as her location somewhat secret. She would rather face her problems alone and not be a burden on others, even if that isn’t always the best idea.


	4. Excuse Me, What the Fuck?

I came to strapped on a medical gurney, an IV was in my arm and I could smell blood. Oh, wait, that was my blood, never mind that part. 

I could hear someone being loudly berated in another room, but before I could get the gist of what they were saying it stopped and the door swung open. A tall, pale man in a lab coat walked in. His face was red, his expression strained, I guess he was the one who was yelling. He carried a clipboard and some empty vials. He checked a monitor that I was attached to, scribbled down a few notes before he turned to me.

“Test subject 1397MH, glad to see you’re awake. We feared upon your arrival that you had been severely injured during your apprehension. But that does not appear to be the case.”

“Why am I here?”

“Oh, we’ve been meaning to capture you for testing for many years now. But you always seemed to much of a risk to go after directly, until now that is.”

“Testing? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, we’ve been studying your kind for decades, slowly unraveling what causes your abnormalities. Sadly many subjects have died during testing, so we’ve had to find those of you who are able to survive it.”

I ignored the jab of anger at the word abnormality, instead trying to appear calm. It was working except for the heart monitor that was slowly picking up its pace.

“So, you found a way to make me not a risk, by somehow turning me into a kid?”

“Why yes, we delved into old records and found quite a few things that helped us do just that. It’s not exactly conventional to use ancient magic, but we were getting desperate to find another mutant with your abilities. The last one was quite dangerous and did quite a bit of damage in his escape.”

He pointed to a far wall that had deep looking cuts in the stone. Plus a large amount of blood stains. 

Awesome.

“So we planned carefully on a proper way to contain you, one that would result in the fewest possible casualties.” He smiled slightly; it made him look older then I had first guessed. He had seen many people die, if I wasn’t careful I was going to be one of them.

“We looked into your past, you were discrete enough to avoid cameras weren’t you? But we did find a paper trail. Your ‘death’ in Germany, multiple reports of trespassers and minor vandalism, your sudden reappearance in America. But then what happened in New York, you were seen by many. Your association with Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D. made tracking your whereabouts simple. It was capture that proved most difficult. Your defensive abilities stood in our way, but we noticed something.”

He paused here, smiling again, probably trying to be dramatic but just coming off as creepy.

“Your shielding abilities improved, from what happened in New York to the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. We calculated your rate of improvement and found that it was only a few years ago that you were hardly able to stop a bullet. Then things all fell into place.”

It was quiet again, I had spotted a flaw in his plan, but I wasn’t sure when I should fill him in on it.

“So, from what you’re saying, it sounds like you want to study my healing ability, since you got rid of my shield.” He nodded. “And from those vials you have, I guess you want to take blood samples?” Another nod.

He got up and retrieved a sterile needle and returned, standing on my right side. He carefully retrieved his samples before bandaging the wound with gauze. He smiled, what I’m sure he thought was a kind expression. He quickly labeled the vials of my blood and started to walk out.

Being strapped to the table prevented me from much movement, but I could move my head. I turned and looked him in the eye.

“I see a fault in your plan, doc.”

He turned to look at me. “Oh, really now, what is it?”

“I bled.”

He came back to my side. “What do you mean?”

“I bled. Certainly in the footage from New York you saw me get hurt?”

“You were not critically injured, your shield prevented it.”

“Sure, the big stuff I blocked. But did you notice all the cuts and scrapes? You were so focused on my shield that your researchers didn’t notice how I never had any minor injuries?”

He waited, his mind clearly working behind his eyes.

“Small injuries are healed instantaneously. Your team never investigated when my healing powers appeared, did they?”

His answer was reluctant. “They appeared before your shield manifested.”

“Oh, sure, before. But when exactly? You wanted to study my blood because of its healing capabilities, but you didn’t even bother to find out when they occurred? What kind of scientists’ work for Hydra, did they even graduate college? Or was it an online degree?”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Oh, good you’ve caught up with the rest of the class. So, what did you miss?”

His face contorted to rage as he ripped the bandage off of my arm, allowing the puncture would to flow freely once again.

“You fucking bleed!” He wrapped his hand around my throat. “When in the hell did your healing abilities start?”

I just smiled at his frustration, I started to loose consciousness but he let go before I did. He got control of his anger and stormed out of the room.

~~~

I didn’t know how much time I was going to have alone, so I took a moment to look around. I was securely attached to the table, too small to attempt to break free. There was a bright overhead light off to the left as well as the heart monitor, and a table with what looked like surgical instruments on it. 

I did not want to think of what those had been used for. 

The rest of the room wasn’t very well lit, the back wall with its marks and stains, no visible windows. This place could be underground, which could make escape more difficult.

To my right was the door the doctor had come through, with what I assumed to be a one way mirror that would lead to an observation room. As you can probably guess by now, my senses were also shit, so I couldn’t have heard any useful information if I tried. 

Oh the things you miss when they’re gone. 

I could only hear before because they were yelling the stone walls must be very thick, which seems to back up the underground theory.

I heard a muffled thump right before the man returned (possibly a door slamming) with a mixed look of disgust and triumph, with a manila envelope in his hand. The envelope looked rather aged, and it was full to bursting with what looked like newspaper clippings. 

Could this place, wherever it was, be an antiquated facility that wasn’t capable of holding the kinds of tech Hydra is used to? That might be helpful.

“You have no idea how lucky you are 1397, a clerical error has managed to delay my experiment, but no matter. I am a patient man.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, five years isn’t exactly very long to have to wait, is it?”

I did as much as I could to mask the revulsion that the thought gave me, but some of it slipped through. Fuck being a captive for five years. I am getting out of here.

“Oh, yes, five years. But don’t you worry; we’ll make sure you’re comfortable during your stay. I have a number of other experiments to keep me busy, and I’m sure you will just love who I’ve picked to be your bunk mate.”

Goddamn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn’t love the evil scientist trope? It’s fun to come up with bad puns to make bad guys use, I have no shame. See you next chapter.


	5. We Are All Just Prisoners Here, of Our Own Device

A short while later I was escorted to a cell blindfolded of course so I couldn’t see any possible ways to escape. They removed the blindfold as they threw me in (literally) and shut the door. It was solid metal, no matter how hard I pushed it didn’t budge. 

My eyes swept through the small room quickly, it was bare except for a toilet in the corner. There were chains against the back wall; they were attached to the cuffs of my bunkmate.

If I could have stepped back, I would have.

Sitting on the floor in front of me could have been described as a man, well; at least he was the shape of a man. And he was just kind of on fire. His skin was black against the blue flames emanating from his neck and shoulders. His hands were by his sides, secured to the wall by chains. He was wearing clothes of some kind, but I couldn’t make out any details. Everything that touched his skin, hell, even his skin looked like it had been photo-shopped out of reality leaving nothing but darkness and flames.

The thing that still had detail was the blindfold that he couldn’t remove due to his restraints, which also had most of their detail around the edges. There was also a collar on his neck with another chain attached to the wall.

He didn’t say anything at first, just tilted his head like he was listening to something I couldn’t hear. After a few seconds he straightened back up and smiled at me. The doctor’s smile was creepy, his guys was just plain terrifying but oddly fascinating. I could only tell he was smiling because where his mouth would be a light that matched the flames appeared, making the room slightly brighter than before. 

But at least the smile was genuine and followed by a laugh.

“Calm down, I can hear your heart and it sounds like a frightened mouse. I can’t hurt you; they’ve made sure of that. Even if I could, I probably wouldn’t, you don’t seem like one of them.”

His voice was deep and soothing, at least as much as it could be given the situation. His accent was vaguely American and sounded very raspy, as if he had lost his voice from disuse. I relaxed somewhat, and let out a shaky breath.

“Who are you?”

“Woah, they’re experimenting on kids now? That is fucked up, I’m sorry they got you.”

Well, I see he has no filter when it comes to language, we have that in common.

“Um, I’m not actually a kid, but that doesn’t stop it from being fucked. You didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, you sound like a kid, names Jin, sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances. Who are you?”

“Kajak. How long have they kept you here?”

“When is it?”

“May.”

“Shit. It’s been half a year almost then.”

“Have they been experimenting on you, to make you look like that, or?”

“Well, I was already capable of this, I think. They just made it worse, and possibly permanent. What about you?”

“They’re after my blood, but I’m getting the hell out, one way or another. Why did they blindfold you?”

“Because my eyes ‘unnerve’ them, the fucking cowards.”

“Why the chains?”

“Because I overpowered the guards one to many times, now they use tranquilizers whenever they want to work on me.”

I stepped away from the door, cautiously approaching him.

“Hold still, I’m removing the blindfold.”

I could sense him immediately stiffen as I approached, physically trying to show me that he wasn’t going to try anything. The flames, while bright, were actually not warm in any way so I quickly untied the knot and slipped it off of his face. I could see why they said his eyes are unnerving, but they weren’t. They were beautiful, a vibrant pale blue that matched his flames. He gave a small gasp, as he looked me up and down.

“What do you mean your not a kid, you’re practically still five!”

“Am not, well, ok I look it, but I’m not!” I growled in frustration, but stopped as I heard footsteps pass by the cell door. “Look, these assholes used magic to make me a kid again, and I’m not waiting around to let them do anything else, so are you going to help me or not?”

He looked like he was about to laugh at my tiny rage, but he nodded in agreement at the last bit and made to pull at his restraints before I stopped him. I didn’t want to make anymore noise then absolutely necessary.

“Hush, let me see how they’re attached, I might be able to get them off you.”

He obliged by trying not to move too much, my ten-year-old frame fitting easily between him and the wall. His arm restraints were screwed into a metal plate on the stone wall, with a bit of help from my belt and raw finger strength it came loose. With the first arm free I turned to remove the collar as well.

I got the collar off after a bit of a struggle and started working on the chain for his right hand when we heard muffled yelling and boots hitting the pavement outside our cell. 

We froze, but no one came crashing into the cell and it got quiet again. After a few more minutes of careful listening I started working on the restraints again, quickly getting them loose. There was nothing I could do about the cuffs on his wrists, but he was no longer attached to the wall. And now he could use the chains as weapons if he needed to. Now we just needed to figure out what to do next.

“How often do they open the door?”

“Usually, if they aren’t testing they just shove food through the bottom slat in the door. They really don’t care if their prisoners are actually able to reach the food they provide. If they are testing they shoot me with a dart gun through the slat at eye level.”

“Okay, so we’ll just have to listen for when we’re up next then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character Jin will be making future appearances in my works, and he will also be getting one of those character profiles once I have the chance to flesh out his character more. See you next chapter!


	6. Voices Down the Corridor

It went on like that for what felt like forever. 

Food was shoved under the door twice a day and guards went on rounds every hour. Almost every other day we could hear the sounds of someone new being forced into a cell, after a few days we heard body bags being dragged out. Still we waited, speaking rarely, listening to everything. 

Until finally the day came.

A few hours after breakfast they brought in another prisoner, this one more violent then the rest. I guessed that they were female from the high pitch of the shrieks and curses that were being tossed about, something of which felt familiar to me. I couldn’t place it before they hauled her out of earshot in the direction of the testing facility.

Minutes later we could hear more muffled footsteps outside of our cell, this time they stopped. We had just enough time to make it look like Jin was still attached to the wall before they knocked on the cell door.

“Prisoner 1397, put your hands through the door and allow yourself to be cuffed. Cooperate or be tranquilized, you have ten seconds.” I nodded towards Jin and let myself be cuffed. The cell door opened; there was only one guard and another scientist. 

This was perfect.

I stepped out of the cell, towards the scientist, leaving the path behind me clear. They didn’t see it coming. Jin tackled the guard with all of his weight, slamming him against the opposing wall; he then aimed a punch at the scientists’ face. 

I had ducked out of the way when he came through the door, and I got to see the doctor laid out cold on the floor. I offered my wrists to Jin who simply stole the key from the guard to get them off of me, and then started looking for the key to his own shackles. 

At my insistence we ran towards the experimentation chamber, I couldn’t get that woman’s voice out of my head and I was starting to realize why.

I knew her.

We skid to a halt outside the chamber door; we hadn’t run into a single guard the entire way and we didn’t want to ruin any chance of surprise that we might have. Jin stayed in the hallway, mainly because it was difficult for him to be inconspicuous in a small room, since his flames don’t turn off. 

So I entered the observation room and found myself to be alone, through the one-way glass I could see three scientists and four or five guards surrounding the gurney. I caught a glimpse of long dark hair and ruby lips.

I knew it!

The woman had light olive skin and a deadly smirk; she could easily take down these idiots. I should know, I helped train her, so why was she here? 

Oh, wait, fuck. How would she know? Goddamn it, Tony went through my phone, I know it.

Today she had on a flowing floor length black skirt and a blood red shawl over her shoulders. From what I could see of her eyes, they were their usual brown. Wait, there was the faintest flicker of ice blue, good.

I open the door silently, no one in the room notices me. All their eyes are busy looking at the woman’s shadow, which is flickering as if it were caught in a strong wind. I approach the table until the woman is able to see me, when she does her smile widens.

“Why, I never thought you were going to join us, dear Kajak.”

“What can I say, Willow, I was a bit tied up.” I held my hands off to the side in a placating gesture, the cuffs still in my hand since it was the only option I had for a potential weapon. The guards turn at the sound of my voice; the scientists are startled by it.

None of them get to see Willow when she sees the cuffs; fury is painted on her face as her eyes turn entirely black. Her shadow arches away from her body, engulfing the men surrounding her. They realize what danger they are in far too late; they are lifted off of their feet and thrown violently to the back wall. Monitors are ripped from the wall, surgical instruments clatter to the ground, none of the men get back up.

Willow rises gracefully to her feet, which are clad in four inch heels, her shadow returns to her (albeit stiffer then natural) and eyes becoming their normal human brown. She steps forward and puts her hands on my shoulders, which makes me feel even smaller than usual compared to her.

“I was getting worried about you!”

“How did you find me, you weren’t even supposed to know I was in the States, much less kidnapped?”

“Oh, I received a call from your cell. You never told me you knew Captain America so well! Not fair! You should have told me that!”

“Wait Steve called you? I was sure Tony would have delighted in calling all of my friends.”

“You’re on first name basis with Captain America? Okay not cool for keeping that a secret.”

“Sorry, sorry, I worked with him a lot because of S.H.I.E.L.D. All that stuff was confidential. Gods, it’s been too long since I’ve see you!”

“I know, it has been. I mean, since when have you been five?”

I had to stop for a minute to glare at her, but I couldn’t stay mad at Willow. It had been almost two years since I had last seen her, so even trying to stay mad was futile. I still stuck my tongue out at her before hugging her.

“Come on, we need to get the hell out of here, I take it you’re coordinating with Cap?” We turned to leave.

“Yeah, he’s taking down the guards from the outside while I’m supposed to be breaking you out.”

“Well, let’s not disappoint.”

Finding out way back out of the compound was a bit tricky due to its maze like design, but Willow’s shadow led us out rather quickly. Jin was rather worried he would freak out Willow, but she took it in stride, even complimenting his ability keep their path swathed in cool blue light. 

On our way out we broke each prisoner out of their cells and wound up with a bit of a crowed following behind us. Most were malnourished, some had trouble walking on their own, but we made it out.

We reached the first floor to find Cap breaking in, he and a few remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had taken down every guard on the outside. There had been no sign of the pale doctor that I had met, so it was likely that he was on the run now.

It turned out that the compound was located in the Catskills Mountain range, I was found by a mixture of Cap and Tony’s tracking skills plus Willow’s connection to the shadow world.

I asked why she just didn’t sneak in and out that way, but what she told me makes me somewhat nervous about the place.

“There’s so much negative energy in this place, it isn’t safe for me to travel in the shadow world here, I’m only human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They do actually wind up waiting about two and a half months before they are found, being stuck in a room without any way to tell time makes it seem longer than it is. Also Willow had been training and going on missions with the X-men over that two-year period since she last saw Kajak. She became a lot stronger and much more dangerous over that period of time.


	7. A Light to Burn All the Empires

Things were busy the next few weeks; there were many prisoners, only some of which were natural mutants. Others had been experimented on until they barley resembled who they had been. 

Coordinating with the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. members and Professor Xavier to decide what to do with all of these people, many of whom turned out to be homeless, find a suitable place to stay. The large majority decided to go with Xavier, while the rest were placed into either protective custody or various witness protection programs to rebuild their lives.

Jin was apparently very interested in working with the Professor to try and work on his ever-present flames. It only took about a week before they found out how to get him in the right mindset to shut them off, and he’s getting really good at controlling them.

I had some extra time with Willow whilst this went on, and she got the chance to explore more of New York which she enjoyed. And I even got a mini reunion when Evie drove down to pick Willow up, that was some of the best sushi I’ve had in quite a while.

While it was disorienting to remain small, I eventually got used to it. 

Tony even managed to stop poking fun at me for it, which was a miracle in and of its self. And a few days after being back home Steve even gave me a plushy baby Elmo of my own. (I must admit I overreacted by hugging Steve’s face. It was his face because he was sitting and that was all I could reach at the time)

~~~

Mysteriously enough, I didn’t have to deal with my reduced height very long after this. 

I wasn’t conscious when it happened, but JARVIS managed to capture some of it through his security program. In the video you can sort of make out a pulsing red light hovering over my bed around dawn, it shifts from red to gold right as the camera gets a burst of static. About three minutes later the camera picture clears up and you see just a faint glow of the gold light around my bed. 

Whatever the golden light was, it restored me back to my normal body.

There were no physical clues left behind by who-or-what ever it was that reversed what had been done, other then the warm glow that faded as soon as I woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, magic in my writing is always mysterious and how it works over all will probably remain a secret, unless I have a weird epiphany about it, in which case I will write it down somewhere. I hope you enjoyed the story!

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my beta reader violentophelia for helping me with this work. Love you, dear.


End file.
